Although one study says that alcohol may boosts memory retention, regular intake may outweigh the benefits. As a matter of fact, daily alcohol intake could shorten a person’s life expectancy.

CNN reports one study that found drinking over 100 grams of alcohol per week can increase risk of death. What’s even more shocking, it causes all causes of death eventually lowering a person’s life expectancy.

What Does A 100-Gram of Alcohol Look Like?

A 100-gram of alcohol is roughly equal to 7 standard drinks as per the United States guideline. In the U.K., a 100-gram of alcohol is equal to 5 to 6 glasses of wine.

Alcohol may not be harmful with moderate consumption. Perhaps, a shot of red wine each week in which the Mediterranean diet recommends.

The Study

A team of researchers studied almost 600,000 alcohol drinkers and their drinking habits. The researchers reviewed 83 studies across 19 countries where 50% of these subjects were drinking over 100 grams of alcohol per week.

This amount alcohol intake is 8.4% more than 350 grams per week. Additionally, the researchers also take into account the subjects’ sex, diabetes status, age, smoking habits and other factors affecting cardiovascular health.

They found that people who drink 100 grams to 200 grams of alcohol per week are at risk of shortening their lifespan of a 40-year old in just six months. Furthermore, consuming 200 grams to 350 grams of alcohol per week could take 1 to 2 years of a person’s lifespan.

Consuming 350 grams or more per week could reduce a person’s lifespan by 4 to 5 years.

What Really Happen In The Body When You Drink Alcohol?

Now that you know that even a shot of alcohol a day is bad, let us quickly explore what alcohol does to your body. Because you take in alcohol, it will not simply become urine but passes through the liver, into the bloodstream and eventually affects the brain.

Knowing the basics of how alcohol affects your body could hopefully, encourage you to minimize its consumption or even avoid it at all.

Angela Wood, the led author of the study and biostatistician from the University of Cambridge says;

The key message of this research for public health is that, if you already drink alcohol, drinking less may help you live longer and lower your risk of several cardiovascular conditions.

Conflicting Data

There are previous studies1 such as this one that says alcohol consumption is beneficial to heart health. However, note that these studies emphasize moderate alcohol consumption.

Angela Wood adds in a CNN interview;

Alcohol consumption is associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks, but this must be balanced against the higher risk associated with other serious — and potentially fatal — cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, study co-author Dr. Dan G. Blazer of Duke University says;

This study has shown that drinking alcohol at levels which were believed to be safe is actually linked with lower life expectancy and several adverse health outcomes.

One professor of the University of Sheffield, Tim Chico adds;

It is difficult to accurately estimate the risks of alcohol to health, but the large size and design of this study make its findings both reliable and applicable to countries around the world.

Additionally, Chico says and highlights that cigarette smokers lose an average of 10 years due to the unhealthy effects of smoking. He also says that this study shows that even with balance consumption, alcohol drinking has no health benefits.

Should You Quit Drinking Alcohol?

Obviously, the answer is yes. However, most people have a difficulty of breaking free from this habit. If you’re among those who struggle from totally quitting alcohol, start small.

Begin with small changes and these can add up until you will be able to quit alcohol completely.

What Would Happen When Quit Drinking Alcohol?

Quit drinking alcohol offers many health benefits. However, one of the reasons many people struggle quitting drinking alcohol is withdrawal.

How To Overcome Alcohol Withdrawal?

Additionally, taking cold showers not only boosts a man’s testosterone level but also provide many health benefits. Having regular cold showers somewhat help your body reset physically especially when you’re experiencing strong urges to drink. Cold showers can also help achieve mental clarity. So, why not take advantage of it.

If you really have a difficult time doing it alone, ask for help. There are organizations willing to help you in this process.

Just don’t quit finding ways until you can fully quit drinking alcohol. There are ways and more ways to stumble when one or two methods do not work for you.

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